There are plenty of facts and trivia concerning the many different fish and other sea life creatures found all over the world. From the water dweller with the longest fins to the fish in water that is faster than a cheetah is on land, you’ll learn an assortment of water creature facts in this article.
Longest Survival of Fish Out of Water
Fish aren’t supposed to thrive out of water, right? However, there are six species of lungfish that live in freshwater swamps that actually dry out for months or even years at a time. Two of the four species found in Africa has learned to adapt to their changing waters. When the swamp water recedes in their environment, they will burrow deep into the ground and secrete mucus to form a cocoon that saves moisture around their bodies. The fish then constructs a porous mud plug, which is located at the entrance of the burrow. They then wait patiently. In the meantime, the fish no longer relies on gill breathing, but instead, will survive with lungs that breathe in air. While in this dormant state, the fish can live for up to four years.
Fastest Fish
Speeding through the waters of the world, the cosmopolitan sailfish is known to be the fastest fish. The Long Key Fishing Camp in Florida conducts short-distance speed trials and the sailfish took out 300 feet of line in three second, which is comparable to traveling at a velocity of 68 mph. To put this measurement in perspective, imagine the cheetah (the fastest land animal), which moves 62 mph. It is the highly oxygenated red muscles of the sailfish that allows the creature to reach their impressive bursts of speed.
Most Dangerous Jellyfish
Around the waters of the Australian north coast, the box jellyfish (also known as Flecker’s sea wasp) has enough venom to kill 60 humans. It is said that this type of jellyfish is responsible for an average of one death per year.
Fish in the Deepest Waters
The Abyssobrotula galatheae is aptly named since it is the fish that lives in the deepest waters. This particular species of cusk eel calls waters with a depth of 27,460 feet its home.
Fish in the Highest Waters
The Tibetan loach lives in the Himalayas, which is at an altitude of 17,060 feet, making it the highest-living fish.
Longest Fish Fin
The huge scythe-shaped caudal fin (the tail) is almost as long as the entire body of all three species of thrasher sharks. The largest of the species is the common thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus), which lives all over the world in temperate and tropical waters. Common threshers can reach lengths of beyond 19 feet. More than 9 feet of the body is attributed to the upper tail fin, which possesses a rather elongated shape. The body of the fish is described as sleek and slender.